Bittersweet
by Thickle
Summary: To think a simple job can go so awry. First she blacks out, then finds herself plucked and planted in an unfamiliar landscape. Oh, and she's not alone.
1. Chapter 1

Thoughts: _'Yo'_

Dialogue: "Yo"

 **Obligational disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters, yadda yadda, bleh.**

* * *

 _The blackness consumed her, why had it gotten so dark? What was happening to her- where was she?_

 _Then she opened her eyes._

Lucy is an intellectual being, really she is. Strategizing rapidly in a confrontation of battle was her talent, able to pile logistics prettily in her head and assess the over-load that her brain gets attacked with time and time again. Any new piece of valuable information comes stored away in its own personal lockbox, ready to use when in need. So yes, Lucy possessed some serious brain power in her arsenal. Except her so-called gifted mind became irrelevant the moment she woke up, taking its own little vacation and blocking her the hell out.

Like honestly, what the fuck happened?

Standing alone and barefoot in what looked like a clearing of a jungle, _of all places_ , without her keys but thankfully in possession of her whip (Thanks almighty deities!), Lucy was stumped to discover than not only had something gone wrong on what was meant to be a simple mission, that she had gotten lost as well!

"Just _how_?" She said out loud.

So she couldn't comprehend how exactly she'd been placed in her current predicament-hello, brain is taking a nap- but it transpired. Waking up on the damp ground and covered in dirt, signs of torture or captivity suspiciously absent, she was stolen of her memories. A blank period between what occurred after she'd hopped onto the train and onward.

Had she somehow gotten possessed, by an enemy mage? But then why was she dumped here and not offed the second he or she had a hold of her? "This is just hurting my brain," she groaned miserably. She probably wasn't even in Fiore anymore!

Whacking the side of her head with a dirty palm she grouched, "The first solo mission I take in weeks and im-"she whirled in a circle and stupidly waved her arms, "Somewhere im not supposed to be!" She peered around her, eyeing the heavy vegetation and tall trees. "You have got to be kidding me! " A buzzing huge, foul fly zipped by her, "Oh, someone's just playing a cruel joke on me. Someone who im going to KILL!" She yelled, startling a flock of birds into flight.

The sun blared hotly, well into mid-day with the heat waves dancing in wavy patterns in front of her. Grimacing as the heat beat against her back and on the top of her head, she lifted a muddy foot up, since she'd also been robbed of her shoes- idly noticing the new makeover her poor manicured nails had- and dragged herself into the tree line. A thick canopy overhang from above, the smell of soil and dew wafting through her nose was even stronger than out in the open. The buzz of insects too increased and she heard the low bustle of roaming animals.

Lucy began to move, "Too bad Natsu isn't here," she hopped over a thick fallen branch, "He'd surely find this amusing." She slapped away some leaves. Since she was without keys- wherever the hell they'd fucked off to- she hadn't a way to resolve this whole bizarre situation which could have been fixed with a simple summon. Alas without them, thanks to the world hating her, contacting her guild mates or transporting back home was impossible. Only hope she had now was to find civilisation and get a hold of a communication Lacrima, just locating one was the problem. And she'd have to do so fast or else by nightfall she'd be vulnerable by a bigger margin than she was now.

"Got to suck it up Lucy," she ignored the squelchy sounds coming from under her feet, "Just need to find some help and get the hell out of here." A groan left her lips as she trod onto some poor worms, squishing them and splashing the ground with their innards. "Sorry," she shuddered as slime spilled in between her toes and tried to avoid the abundance of insects and grubs crawling, worming and flying around her and on the forest floor.

After the first hundred yards, vegetation only got thicker. Light was minimal here and she relied on that guidance to find her way through this natural maze. By the third hour, her tongue had dried up and she'd attained some lovely scratches on her body. She especially liked the new addition that was, ah, bleeding thoroughly down her leg. Tripping into a small thorn bush, or as she liked to call it- the plant from hell-, had worsened her. She had no supplies to patch herself up so she'd moved on, no food to quiet her crying tummy or a bottle of water to parch her scratchy throat. She'd dry sobbed at that.

Because tears were not going to help her here. Whoever had sabotaged her, did so cleverly. Leave a mage without her link to magic in a harsh place where everything was looking out to maim and break you? Very smart.

As she walked, she became jittery. The nerves shot up and discomfort tingled down her spine, the noises were becoming too much and she hurt all over. She lost count on different species of plant and fauna she came across, all blending into white noise and backgrounds as she kept her eyes out for any sign of civilisation. If that included climbing up some trees to scout the tree tops, she did it.

And nothing.

"It's stifling!" she panted, "Ofcourse there wouldn't be anyone around." Only an idiot with a death wish would be out here. She grumbled as a bead of sweat slid down her nose, dripping onto the thin blue shirt she wore. The only good thing she had going for her at the moment was that she hadn't worn any pants or long sleeved blouses when heading out to complete her task. And her task? Easy it was. Lucy _had_ planned to stock up some rent money and couldn't remain patient enough for Natsu and the rest of her team to return, hence why she took the job as it seemed relatively simple as far as 'Client Reconnaissance 'went. Low and behold, something goes wrong and she gets stuck out here.

Lucy, she decided, just had terrible luck.

* * *

See, when one takes a trek it has to have an ending. Her walk? Never-ending and without purpose, since everything she came upon _looked_ the same, _smelt_ the same and _sounded_ the _damn_ same. At least the trees contained in her current area of preoccupation were lesser and easier to navigate. However she'd spent hours walking and the sun only stayed up so long.

There wasn't a flowing river nearby that she could have trailed, only stilted lakes she crossed by. The sun happily stretched out its last rays and shadows began their appearance. Lucy didn't want to welcome the darkness just yet but it was fruitless.

She was scared.

And alone.

Lost and alone in the wilderness.

Lucy wanted to cry.

Her calves and thighs burned, beginning to cramp up as she continued on and her movements were noticeably sluggish. Aimlessly walking forward with feet so sore they were numbing and ankles ready to snap grossly at any second. She stumbled through another thicket. Shame she didn't carry a mirror, she probably resembled shit. _'I feel like shit though, so there's that._ 'she thought crossly.

Crossing over a log that she could have sworn she passed over five times already, Lucy came to an abrupt stop.

There in the distance where a small riverbed nestled in the forest, stood a man. And no, her eyes didn't deceive her- she wasn't at that point to hallucinate yet-she could not see his face but she saw how immaculate his clothes were.

He looked out towards the water, not moving nor doing anything else and seemingly unaware of her presence.

Until she made it known.

Flooded with relief that someone was actually here with her, she ignored any suspicion tingling her senses and rushed towards him with a strength that shouldn't be possible.

She would soon find out that, instincts were ingrained in her system for a reason.

* * *

 **Edited: 23/11/2016**


	2. Chapter 2

Thoughts: _'Yo'_

Dialogue: "Yo"

* * *

 **The Guild**

The rowdy players in the throes of an exciting fight noticed nothing amiss that day, all too preoccupied with beating the ever living shit out of each other. Natsu and Gray had commandeered half of the tables in the hall, ordering their mismatched comrades to fights and delivering kicks, punches, jabs to each other whenever they met in the middle.

Erza squeezed herself into the altercation when her slice of cake became mush, smacking them upside their heads and equipping into some appropriate armour.

No one messes with her treat.

Away from the mayhem Cana sat, an empty mug beside her Tarot cards that were spread out over the table. She was gazing at them in deep thought when Mira came over to give her a refill.

"Anything interesting today?" The barmaid-she-demon- asked innocently, ducking when a chair went hurling over, then placing the replenished mug back on the table. Placing a hand atop the wooden slab to stable the tremor that went through the floor, she inspected the cards that had captured the favourite drunk's interest.

Cana gave a tight smile, "Something like that…" her fingers circled the rim of her drink, "Just, that I have this feeling that something isn't right you know?"

Mira tilted her head, questions bubbling up her throat but keeping herself restrained lest Cana elaborated.

Cana just shook her head and looked back at the cards, "A very bad feeling." She murmured.

* * *

 **Lucy**

With the birth of endless joy, she practically skipped the rest of the way along the distance it took her to reach the stranger.

She slowed to a stop, about ten feet away from him and quickly examined what she could. Average height, perhaps a little taller than she. A mane similar to Natsu's just the colour midnight black and tidier, a toned lithe body from what she could tell (Well, okay he had good looking arms and a very nice back) and nice looking skin- ah, the dehydration _was_ getting to her.

Clearing her throat, which _hurt_ to do, she tentatively spoke. "Hello?" she asked, heart beating fast in nervousness as the stranger turned around. The side of his face came into view and she gaped, strong jaw and flawless pale skin. _'And strangely familiar'_ she noted, and she found out why when he was presented fully.

Black eyes, expressionless face.

Her earlier question about asking for help died prematurely, as she started sweating bullets and heartbeat accelerating dangerously took its place with vigorous intention. Was she even breathing? Her lungs felt like they weren't working at all.

" _You_?" Lucy cried in shock, eyes widened to saucers as she took a fearful step back.

"Me?" The black haired man responded in kind.

Unprepared for this encounter Lucy doubled back in panic, eyes locked onto him. Unluckily for her, she managed to trip over a rock that jagged upwards and hit her head painfully on the ground.

Knocking herself out as it happened.

* * *

As Lucy came to, it was to the feeling of renewed soreness. Her back and limbs were twisted awkwardly and her head felt disgustingly fuzzy. As she stared upwards with deafening silence she remembered _what_ she saw before she blacked out, before sitting up ramrod straight. She groaned as a wave of dizziness washed over, clutching a hand to the side of her face.

"Awake, are you?"

Lucy squeaked and scrambled to her feet, whirling around until she spotted him. He was sitting on a large rock, watching her from some feet away.

Dread itched into her voice, "You!" she cried.

A twinkle of amusement entered his onyx eyes, "We've established that, yes."

"Yo-you-y-" she stuttered, finding it hard when a million of thoughts were flying through her head. Her words failed her and she let it known the only way she knew how.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" by screaming.

He raised a brow, "Did I say something wrong?" He asked, enjoying her confusion and fear.

Oh screw it, "You're bloody _ZEREF_. Why are you here? WHY AM I HERE?" She went on hysterically. "This isn't possible, I'm seeing things!"

Zeref, as he'd been revealed, shrugged his shoulders.

From what he could gather, vague as it was, that the young woman was lost. And she knew him by appearance. He had to wonder how she was here, stranded and terribly in luck- since there weren't any living humans occupying this place. His barrier made sure of that.

Blinking out of his thoughts, he watched as the woman stopped her rambling, turned around and bolted away from him. Awkwardly for her, she ran right into a nasty looking clump of vines that immediately tangled her.

He resisted the urge to throw his head back and laugh.

' _What the fuck, what the ever-loving fuck!'_ While Lucy mentally raved, her position didn't catch up to her until she noticed she hadn't moved an inch for a considerable amount of time."Fuck why?!" She struggled violently, still half in shock and the other half bathing in absolute terror. "I can't believe this is happening," words became incomprehensible as her panic grew trying to shake off the constricting vines.

"They only become tighter the more you struggle," Zeref spoke up, having moved from his seat. First impressions eluded him; he desperately needed not to judge a 'book by its cover' so to speak because -really- he hadn't thought such a young lady would utter such profanity.

"Stay away from me!" She barked, glaring at him.

"I am keeping a reasonable distance from you, there's no need to feel threatened." He tried to reason.

"Feel threatened?" she repeated in disbelief, "If you can't tell I'm beyond _scared_ so don't take it the wrong way when I say I don't fucking trust you, _dark mage_." Her breathing was getting out of control and she tried concentrating on slowing her breaths.

"Well...yes I suppose you do have a point." He conceded.

"Damn right I do!" She growled.

Amused by now, he worked his way towards her. Seeing this, Lucy panicked, "Okay, come on we can work this out, you don't want to hurt me." She cooed at him like one does to a pet.

He kept coming closer.

"NO! Please stop, _wait_!" She warned, finally managing to untangle her hands. Her lower body however, was still immovable.

He stopped.

"I won't trouble you!" She blurted out randomly. Try and throw him off and leave her alone was the goal here and although she didn't have much to work with, it didn't mean she couldn't try and sweet talk her way out!

"Oh?" He spoke, curious.

"Uh huh! See I must have hit my head really hard because I have no idea where I am…" She rambled, senselessly supplying him with information, "- like Amnesia. Just leave me be and I'll be out of your way, you wouldn't even remember I was here." She smiled a sugary smile, clenching her jaw when the rope-like plants around her middle _squeezed_.

Zeref decided hysteria makes people do such peculiar things. He hummed and feigned to contemplate her offering, playing along with the silly game. She seemed like a bubbly little thing, probably very bright too- not in this state though.

"I'll consider it." He decided at last, crossing his arms and eyeing her in humour.

Lucy whined loudly, sounding like a stricken animal, "Please be a dream, please be a dream. I'm still at home in my bed, my comfortable soft bed. I am not stuck in a random jungle with a stupidly overpowered mage who could kill me with a flick of a wrist. Please, please, please,please." She clasped her hands and prayed for mercy.

He snorted, this one was all for dramatics. "Are you going to able to free yourself?" He asked, noting the sky's bleak tone. Dark was fast approaching.

"You are stuck." He clarified when she didn't respond.

Lucy looked at herself, seeing she was still tangled from the waist down and being constricted like a boa's prey. "Hahahaha…yeah..." She scratched her head, awkwardly and warily looking at him.

"Shall I lend a hand?" He gestured towards her, a small turn of his lips as he slid forward again.

"And get me killed in the process? I think fucking not." She snarled at him in anxious irritation.

Zeref frowned a little; she was hardly gentle handling a conversation. "How much do you know of me?" He questioned.

Lucy stopped her aggressive struggling and shook her head. A humourless smile graced her face as she held up her hand, "One, you're a legendary dark wizard," A finger went down, "Two, you are ridiculously strong and revered by psychopaths all over the continents," and another, "And you're a deranged murderer," a third finger went down, "Did I cover it all?" She deadpanned.

Ah, here his lips twitched upward. Funny little thing had such _spunk_ , "Something along those lines." He said, staring at her. "But you don't know everything."

"Oh really?" She intoned sarcastically, "Obviously I don't!" Was this guy serious? Dark mage or not how could he be so stupid to state something so fucking obvious? Yes she read books, but she wasn't some librarian with all the knowledge about every single thing stored into her head. Not everything was in history books!

Zeref narrowed his eyes at her, catching her attitude. "See," he continued, "Power is everything, and many underestimate the control it takes to tame it. Many abuse it and others doubt it, I do neither."

Lucy narrowed her own eyes at him, alert. "And this information helps me out how exactly?" She inquired.

His eyes softened, "I'm not some monstrous brute on a quest to destroy mankind as the legends suggest, I happen to know restraint and regret. Such a thing in a killer is unorthodox…" He stated, eyes glazing over eerily.

She blinked, "I find that hard to believe. For others that might be true, but you?" she checked out his darkly clothed profile, "I don't think so."

He sighed, expecting that. Well at least he tried. "No matter," He said, "I will just have to show you." He closed in on her. The girl released a squeak in fright, scrambling to escape free from her entrapment. The closer he ventured, the more helplessly flustered she became. Kind of endearing how one so snarky could turn into a quivering mess. He didn't think he looked that intimidating, truth be told.

"Please, don't do this." The vines snapped back as she stretched this way and that.

Zeref finally reached her, "Would you calm yourself? You're over reacting."

"Easy for you to say! I'm the one hanging like an idiot with you here! I HAVE NO REASON TO BE CALM!" She snapped at him, despite being scared of her wits. He had to chuckle at that.

Zeref reached out a hand to undo her binds; Lucy still very freaked out, leaned back and tried to evade his hands. "I'm not going to hurt you." Zeref stated, hands returning back to his sides.

"And there's your problem, I don't trust you." Lucy spit out, and it was the truth. She didn't know him on a personal level and only had the myths and lectures to go by, which in his regard wasn't a good thing.

Zeref acknowledged this, her reasoning sound. But he still needed to get her out; the vines were not going to wither away with the cold.

"Be that as it may, you are still trapped and those vines are," he surveyed the creeping plants, "a handful to escape." A small quirk of his lips," And im not one to desert a lady in her time of need." He gave her a charming smile. He could just… use his otherworldly good looks to, ah, _persuade_ her into compliance.

Lucy stared at him, was he flirting with her? No that was, no….

"How chivalrous, you make me swoon." She said cynically, rolling her eyes. Like she was going to fall for that.

He sneered, then reached around himself and procured a dagger.

Cue the sweat.

Lucy looked on with trepidation as he extended forward again with the sharp weapon in hand, then severed the vines, being delicate when he got to the ones wrapped tightly around her skin. Her skin crawled as he loomed closer, his warm breath hitting the skin of her thighs as he freed her legs.

Lucy tensed when the vines fell apart like butter, falling in a heap on the ground. Her body ached with all the pressure she put into trying to escape, not to mention the exhaustion she'd suffered during the day and she wobbled back, away from the crouched Zeref.

Bracing herself for the blow she was sure to come, because this was _Zeref_ , she squeezed her eyes shut. "Get on with it then," But when no such blow came, she opened them to see what he was doing.

Except he wasn't in front of her anymore.

Rotating, she watched in bewilderment at Zeref walking in the opposite direction from which she'd stumbled upon him, stopping and looking at her over his shoulder. "You're free to follow," He said, an air of mysteriousness surrounding him.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" she called to him from the distance.

She received no answer.

Gulping she hurried to follow, because Lucy wasn't in a right state of mind. He hadn't killed her, he'd helped her. What was the harm in following him other than possible death that was guaranteed if she stayed by herself.

She didn't have much to lose.

* * *

 **Edited: 23/11/2016**


	3. Chapter 3

Thoughts: _'Yo'_

Dialogue: "Yo"

* * *

Lucy's feet had been through war. She whimpered in pain as they passed through the undergrowth, there was much more pointy rubble to step over. Sticks, stones and shrubbery brushed her sensitive feet, the sting increasing and decreasing in tandem each time. She sniffed back tears as the biggest incision on the sole of her right foot bled freely, craving for something to cover them up. If only for a small respite to ease the torture on her feet. The risk of infection was high, if not already setting in. "Got to prepare for some rot," she bit in a somewhat detached manner, "Losing appendages are normal." She nodded along with her crazed musing.

"Oh," she said in a daze as black spots burst against her vision, sagging forward, "That isn't good." Seemed like the stress was finally getting to her. A cocktail of cuts and bruises, check. Job failed, check. Guild unawares, check. Traveling with a dark mage, check. Yes a lovely batch of problems.

Hold up! Her guild! She straightened-and lost her sight for a second- as she remembered she still had her guild to rely on, they would realise she was missing in no time. They would search for her, find her! She blew out a breath as the reassurance settled solidly on her shoulders, why hadn't she thought about that before?

Lucy raised bleary eyes up to look at Zeref walking in front of her.

That's right… Her mood dampened, accompanying Zeref who was prominent enemy to all light guilds in Fiore presented complications. They had history and if Natsu and others found her with him, bearing the knowledge of the violent past, it wouldn't be a pretty outcome.

Yelping as she tread onto one of the sharper rocks, she hopped over and braced for the nausea that assailed her.

Zeref's intentions at this point were mute and speculating was pointless till she gathered some information off of him. However she couldn't ask where they were going since the heaviness assaulted her again, dense in its intensity this time, "Urgghh," she garbled, breaking the silence as the floor suddenly rushed up to meet her face.

* * *

The second she woke up again, she was no longer on her feet. In fact, her arms swung side to side as she found herself plopped on a broad shoulder, rear sticking out and head swaying. "My name is Lucy, by the way." She mentioned offhandedly, wiggling on her perch. She wasn't going to thank him for carrying her like a cave man and would very much like to be let down.

A strong hand tightened on her thigh, destroying that wish and making her flush. She frowned when he didn't say anything, apparently ignoring her.

"You're a Celestial mage." He rather stated than asked instead, peeking over his shoulder at her manoeuvring around to stare back.

Lucy jumped, not expecting he'd know that. "How'd you figure that out?" she asked, surprised.

"The weapon you carry. It's from the Celestial spirit realm." He explained simply, shifting her more firmly into place.

' _The weapon…?'_ Lucy groaned inwardly, dismissing the fact that she was being manhandled by him. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten she still had Fleuve d'étoiles with her! But how did he know that it was from the Celestial spirit realm? Its existence was kept strictly under wraps to her understanding; only knowledgeable to a handful of people since it was so rare for one came back onto the playfield.

"You've seen Fleuve d'étoiles before?" She said, poking for a viable answer.

"Once." And he disappointed her with giving no further details. It was interesting though; one of her ancestors or long-distant cousins had met him in the past and survived, at least- alive enough to bare their whips.

"It was gifted to me by one of my Zodiac spirits." She smiled fondly, missing her keys. She had full confidence she would find them again, once she got out of this place. Even if she had to search the ends of the earth.

"How thoughtful of them."

She sighed loudly, exaggerating it. "Can you let me down now?" she queried, squirming. Her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly of its hunger and she burned with mortification. He stopped and she actually thought for a second that he might comply like a decent human being.

"Your feet won't hold you up, so no."

If she _was_ walking, she might have paused and punched him in the face, "Where are you taking me then?" and when he didn't respond she threw her hands in the air, frustrated.

This guy was so strange.

* * *

Lucy began to learn some things about her companion. Most obvious he was quiet and reserved, hardly hesitant to shut her questions down and spoke only when necessary. He was also oddly watchful of the animals they came upon. He had the tendency to slow down and look at them, as if to ink their appearance resolutely in his mind. She watched on as the sun descended and nightfall came upon them, bringing out to attention of the noise level which grew, and the nocturnal wildlife heading out to forage for food.

"Constant vigilance around thy enemy," she grinned when he paused, "I'm sorry?" Oh how cute, he was confused. She dug her trimmed nails onto his back, "Just reminding you that I don't trust you." She said merrily, kicking her feet in petulance that belied her tone. He still hadn't let her down. She expected him to croak out his anger, possibly hit her once or twice but proved her wrong when he only laughed.

"It is wise of you to do so," he said in a somewhat airy voice, jostling her in a rather playful manner.

 _'Kami, I'm in a nightmare.'_

"We are here." Zeref said sometime later, stopping in a small clearing where the grass was short and a cave dwelled below a mountain. He slowly let her on the ground, stepping away when she was back on her own two feet. She didn't reply, too preoccupied at gazing at the tumultuous peak. A campsite rested outside the mouth of the cave, belongings scarce but practical and plainly occupied.

"Cosy," she took slow sure steps forward and sat down on one of two mats, stretching her legs out.

"Now what?"

He ignored her and started up a fire, producing a black coloured flame that never less lightened the camp as it burned through the wood and sticks he'd placed, bordered around with appropriately sized stones.

"I'll be back shortly. Do not stray from this area." She looked at Zeref, who stared at her with unreadable eyes. She just _could not_ read him.

' _Doesn't look like im going anywhere, now does it?'_ She did not take kindly to being ordered around but reluctantly admitted she had nowhere else to go, and staying with him was her best bet at the moment.

"Alright." She mumbled softly.

She didn't bother watching as he walked away, disappearing into the jungle.

* * *

He didn't come back until the moon was shining at its brightest, carrying a small bundle tucked under his arm. Her own arms were left straining, as she'd taken to hugging her dead legs to her chest, waiting for him. He walked over lazily, taking his own seat next to her.

"About time you came back," she snapped, glaring at him in the camp light. What a liar he was, 'I'll be back shortly!' His version of short apparently meant three hours!

"Must have lost track of time," he said apathetically. She gaped as he unfurled the piece of cloth in his lap and extracted a small pouch from within, to which he then threw at her. She caught it with fumbling hands, "What's this?" she questioned, unsteady hands already unlatching the thin string keeping it closed together. With some apprehension she tugged it open, peering inside.

"Food." He answered as she recoiled in disgust at the huge creepy crawly scurrying inside. She saw berries as well but the ugly thing was sitting on top. "Bastard," she seethed lowly, shooting him a flat look.

"You need to eat; they're nutritious and will renew your strength." And she watched in horror as he plopped his own bug in his mouth and chomped, splattering the thing to bits. Ohhh, she clutched her roiling stomach. She was going to be sick.

"I think I'll keep to the berries for now, thanks." She managed, picking the bug up and flicking it away.

Zeref watched as she loaded the berries into her mouth, gagging once or twice at the amount of food piling down her throat. She swallowed loudly when she finished, a pleased grin stretching her face as the devoured berries settled within the confines of her belly. He did a once over, inspecting her battered legs. He'd have to fix that. He surveyed the rest of her. The woman, Lucy, had big doe eyes, brown and fiery- a nice match for her personality, lush curves and generous youth. She was a Fairy Tail mage to boot, with a softness to her voice-when she wasn't snapping her jaws at him- which he found enthralling.

She might just have some potential.

Lucy moaned quietly as she delicately examined her feet. They were scabbing over and puss oozed out of one of the bigger puncture wounds she had on the sides. Although pleased with feeding the beast that was her belly, her feet weren't so easy to treat.

Zeref suddenly crouched in front of her, something akin to regret in his expression as he took hold of her ankle, to which she let out a stream of anguished swears and pulled, dragging her towards him. "What are you doing?!" she demanded, thrashing her upper body. He only wanted her legs onto his lap but adjusted and pulled her on fully, "Stop struggling." He murmured silkily.

Lucy froze at his velvety voice whispering in her ear, an undertone of warning that tempered her bravado. Then gave a sound kick at him, "Like hell!" and resumed her fraught struggle. Zeref clamped a heavy hand around her and dug into his satchel with the other, grabbing a small jar. "I can't administer this with you flailing all over the place," he chided, stilting her.

"I don't-"

"It's to heal your feet."

Well why he didn't just say so!?

"Fine you can do that," she nodded rigidly, "just let me go." She made haste as he released her, returning back to her mat. "You don't just grab people like that," she mentioned as he began applying some white paste with his hand, smoothing it over her skin.

"I apologise for my thoughtlessness, it was uncalled for." he placed the lid back on the jar. Could he be anymore politely offensive?

"What's in that anyway?" she asked, wiggling her feet and enjoying the refreshing coolness soaking them.

"Herbs."

She couldn't say anything else when the most agonizing pain hit her, crawling into her bloodstream and striking like knives from within. She groaned and hunched in on herself as she felt whatever he gave her wash its way through, unaware of the bindings he was wrapping around her feet.

When she recovered enough, she gazed in anger at Zeref.

"…?" her silence spoke volumes, the pain beginning to fade. Whatever that was made her drowsy and she fought to keep her eyelids open.

"Your wounds were infected; if I left them as they were you could have lost your limbs. It seems your earlier adventures through this environment were foolish as you'd ignorantly trampled onto some poisonous sap. Apologies for the pain." He said innocently, a hint of mirth in his eyes. Insulted, Lucy scoffed and glared. He didn't sound sorry at all!

"Gee, Thanks." She whispered begrudgingly, aghast at the prospect of being… _foot_ -less. Dazed, she yawned and blinked, before falling backwards onto the ground, fast asleep.

He watched her curl into herself, trying to preserve warmth. She twitched and mumbled, an almost inaudible sigh of 'Polite bastard' escaped her mouth.

His eyes became haunted; she really did remind him of _'her'._

* * *

 **Edited: 23/11/2016**


	4. Chapter 4

Thoughts: _'Yo'_

Dialogue: "Yo"

* * *

 **Day 2**

Lucy awoke with a kink in her neck, the merciless sun shining brightly on her face and feeling uncomfortable all over.

Her head lolled to the side where Zeref's own little mat lay, and saw that he wasn't there. Lucy painfully sat up; her muscles still aching from yesterday's activities. She wearily raised a hand to her forehead as the events from last night rushed to the forefront of her brain. She cringed when she remembered how she had doubled over because of the immense pain.

Whatever herbs he had crushed together and used on her had definitely done its job; except for the slight discomfort she could now move her feet without whimpering. She also noticed he'd wrapped her feet snugly with cloth, but her irritation ruined her small appreciation for the man. He could have just asked, he could have given her a heads up. But no, he decided to go for option number three and freak her the hell out.

Standing up with a little difficulty, she marched over to the little satchel he left behind. Bending down she dove into the items of the bag, uncaring about going through someone else's stuff. She pulled out several things, the jar from last night, and the same dagger from the day before, a larger jar full of darkly coloured paste, some rope and a canteen.

Mouth-watering at the sight, she grasped the moderately sized canteen and downed its contents. Relishing the feel of water going down her throat, she looked around as she drank her fill. She spotted a small brown patchy bowl near the fire that was nearly dead, and grabbed it. Lucy thought he may have left another bug for her, since he was a bastard, but she was pleasantly surprised to find it full with wild colourful fruits.

The sky was gathering clouds at the moment but the sun was still in its prime, on a whim she gathered she should prepare for some serious downpour later on and relocate herself into the cave but she couldn't be bothered at the same time. She was filthy, her hair in knots and matted with dirt and far too tired to care about moving valuables or herself to a dry spot.

She placed the canteen back on the ground, and slowly ate her meagre breakfast. Sweeping a lock of hair out of her face, she lay back done on the mat. Having nothing else better do to, she stared upwards and unblinking, watching as the sky darkened.

The rain could come for all she cared; in fact at the moment she welcomed it.

* * *

It was well into afternoon when Zeref came back. Lucy hadn't moved from her position at all and she had practically sizzled in her spot. The tell-tale signs of rain were beginning to make its entrance, and the first falling sprinkles splattered on her. She sighed and stuck her tongue out, trying to catch some of the drops. Her energy was entirely gone, the little boost she had in the morning had evaporated.

"You're back." She said simply, tone neutral and eyes shut.

He said nothing as he sat down, dropping a bigger bag onto his mat. He eyed his small satchel and the items scattered around it.

"I assume you drank all the water?" It was more of a rhetorical question; he began placing the smaller bag into the larger one. He tilted the canteen and observed as nothing came out, not even a single drop.

"Yup." She popped her mouth at the 'p'.

"You're still upset." It was not a question.

"Precisely." Her tone was even.

He stared at the sky, which rumbled.

"Get up, we need to move."

She opened her eyes to look at him, "No thanks."

"I wasn't asking."

"And im not moving." She said stubbornly.

"Do you want me to carry you instead?"

She raised an eyebrow, he was totally bluffing. No way would she let him get near her since the trick he pulled.

"You can try." She taunted.

And he did just that, backpack swung over his shoulder and sliding his arms under her legs before picking her up. The air left her lungs as he carried her, and she shrieked in displeasure. "I didn't actually mean it." She complained, crossing her arms childishly. He sure liked getting touchy, and she blushed when his musky scent hit her nose. It reminded her that she was filthy and smelt; her face heated up even more, this time in embarrassment.

He walked them to the cave, and Lucy let out a few choice words when he let her down.

"Attitude." He reprimanded. Kami if he began flicking her _nose_ like a child…

She stared daggers at him.

He went back outside to retrieve the mats just as the rain came pouring down with a vengeance. Shaking the droplets on his hair, which made it stick out oddly, he deposited the mats on the cold floor.

Lucy sat down with a huff.

Foregoing any pleasantries (If she had any left) she got right to the point, "So what do you plan to do with me, Hm? Am I a hostage? Going to skin me alive and make a rug?" She fired question after question.

He laughed out loud, ruffling his hair with a hand.

"Stop laughing." She sulked, cheeks puffed up in indignation.

"Not my fault if you're being melodramatic." He pointed out.

"Oh, cut me some slack. The reason Im saying such inane stuff is purely justified."

"If you say so." He replied lightly.

Lucy's eye twitched and she bit the inside of her cheek, holding back her retort.

She took this time to stare at him properly; she had no real chance to do so yesterday-hello, restricting vines, dying feet- Besides from his hair and built, he was quite handsome. He had a chiselled jawline and a firm throat.

Pity, since he was quite visually attractive. Jamming a twig out of the pile of firewood he brang into the ground, she chewed her bottom lip and tried to keep herself from letting such thoughts stray. He was an asshole, a lunatic and good-looking; and she wasn't here to play house with him. They were still enemies.

A bag was tossed at her feet and she looked up. "Not another bug in there, is it?" She said in revulsion.

"Take a look." He recommended, starting up another fire.

She opened the pack and saw more bindings, plus another canteen of water and a pair of boots- she salivated- with plain black socks. She stared back at Zeref.

"See it as me trying to make amends for the night before." He said quietly, back turned towards her.

She scoffed, "Right." Even as she guzzled down the water.

* * *

 **The Guild**

The guild's ongoing fight had progressed in the last 24 hours, the hall was an absolute mess and it was a far cry from the guild's usual shenanigans. Natsu and Gray were _still_ fighting and it didn't look like they were slowing down anytime soon. Windows were shattered and some of the rougher inhabitants were sent to med-bay, sustaining injuries. The only ones who hadn't participated in this ridiculous show of relentless fighting were majority of the S-class mages and the Thunder God Tribe. Gajeel, too proud to meddle with the idiots, had also chosen to sit out.

Bags under her eyes, Cana sat at the bar as she steadily gulped down another beer. The past two days she watched the guild doors, growing worried every time a certain someone didn't show up. Her gut twisted, realising the significance of her Tarot cards.

"Where are you Luce?" She whispered. The connection between her Tarot cards and Lucy's disappearance was no coincidence; those cards _never_ lied to her. And the things saw, the images and meanings were cloudy and unpredictable, hardly making any sense but hinting at vague conceptions. It was a mismatch bundle of confusing scenarios that could/would/had possibly occurred.

She was frightened, and absolutely concerned about her friend's safety.

She heard a shout and swivelled in her seat, narrowing her eyes. Team Natsu was oblivious of their missing team member. It was not surprising considering how _engrossed_ they were. But still, this was their teammate. Why hadn't Natsu or Gray checked up on her whereabouts? Or even Erza for that matter, she was the more reasonable of the two yet it looked like Erza didn't know nor care.

Turning back around on her stool, she took another sip of the cool beverage. She had gone to Lucy's apartment the other day and like she suspected, no one had answered. Cana had even asked Lucy's fat land lord, and gotten the expected unhelpful response. She'd then checked the mission logs, ran over Lucy's quest with excruciating detail to see if she'd missed something but discovered nothing. Lucy's quest was one that should have taken a few hours to complete. This only solidified her unease and she'd bitten her nails down to the flesh, having a mild panic attack as she'd unearthed the very startling, very troubling knowledge that something had gone wrong.

"Have you seen Lucy?" Cana asked tiredly as Mira swooped in, sweeping the bar with a wet rag.

"Hmm, no?" she shook her pretty head, "Not since she left for a job a couple of days ago. Why? Hasn't she returned? "Mira inquired.

"No, im afraid not."Cana tapped her fingers on the bar anxiously.

"Im sure she's fine Cana."Mira assured even though she herself felt the beginnings of worry, eyeing the buxom brunette as she fidgeted.

"Hey Mira, could we get another beer!" Jet called from the other end, interrupting their conversation. Cana nodded at her to go, "I'll be back." Mira promised before she went to serve Jet and Droy their drinks, smacking their hands away as they reached for the scotch beneath the bar.

"What kind of mission did she take again?" Cana asked when Mira returned, even though she already knew.

"Hmm, let me go check. It'll only take a minute." She said and disappeared looking down below the counter.

Cana waited impatiently.

"Huh, that's not quite right." The blue-eyed beauty said as she came back with the mission chart, eyes scanning the pages quickly. "This mission should have been very easy for Lucy to complete and she should have been here yesterday, if not this morning. Maybe she got held up on the way back?" suggested Mira, uncertain.

"Im going to speak with master." Cana declared, warning bells finally blaring. She had to _move_ , now.

Sensing the urgency, "I'll come with you." Mira said quickly, discarding her apron. "Lisanna! Can you cover for me?" she called out to her sister; the Transformation mage sticking her head out of the kitchens. "Sure, no problem." she sent a sweet smile in her sister's direction, "Are you alright?" she asked.

Mira waved dismissingly, "Just have to go talk with Master a little bit, and I'll be back down in a moment." she told her hurriedly.

"Okay…" Lisanna said, grabbing the apron and putting it on before taking over in her older sibling's place.

Mira and Cana both rushed up the stairs, leading to their Guild Master's office. Cana taking it two steps at a time to get to their destination faster. Mira watched her with concern; it was unusual to see Cana so shaken up.

When they got to the heavy doors to Makarov's office, Cana forewent knocking and forced herself into the room. "Cana!"

"Cana?" Makarov frowned, "Mira?" He was in the middle of signing paperwork, a pen poised between his fingers. Cana wiped off her sweaty hands over the fabric of her pants, "I have reason to believe something has happened to Lucy."

Makarov closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair, arms tensing, veins bulging and magical power noticeably rising.

"Tell me everything you know." he said, opening his eyes to reveal a steel gaze, a strong coat of alarm arming his voice.

* * *

 **Edited: 23/11/2016**


	5. Chapter 5

Thoughts: _'Yo'_

Dialogue: "Yo"

* * *

Sleeping in cave with a dangerous man wasn't _that_ bad, he kept his distance and they were happy to ignore each other's existence. Lucy even managed to grab enough hours of fitful sleep to function properly. Mentally though, she was a mess. Two days and she couldn't get over the fact that she was in company of Zeref. Zeref, the raging madman feared by those in Fiore, who could bring down an entire country if he so wished.

He stopped in front of her, "Stand up."

She grinded her teeth, but complied regardless.

"Come along now," he said, clapping the dirt off his hands that caused movement of the small satchel attached to his hip. He walked to the mouth of the cave, turning and waiting for Lucy to follow. "And bring your canteen." He informed.

She wanted to strangle him. Nonetheless, she grabbed her canteen, clutching it hard. "What's on our to-do list today?" she inquired, bored.

"I want to show you something..." he trailed off, slanting his head to the side. He didn't further his explanation and just strode onwards, to which she followed with puzzlement. Why did he cut off his sentence? _'Show me? Show what damn it!'_ Bewildered, she stared at his back as they began towards the interior of the jungle.

He stayed quiet and the leaves crunched under their feet as they moved. The humidity got harsher the deeper they travelled through and Lucy noticed they were following an old trail. The mosquitos pecked at her and she slapped them away in annoyance, trying to figure out which new location Zeref was taking her to.

It turned to be a small river.

He walked onto the bank wordlessly, and opened up his canteen. He dipped it under the water and let it fill and Lucy took that as invitation to do the same. She crouched beside him and mirrored his actions, enjoying the cool rush of water on her dry hands. The riverbed looked more than a watering hole than anything else.

It really was remote here.

No one should deserve to be stranded in this sort of place.

She's excluded from that of course.

"Do not drink that." he abruptly warned as she brang her canteen towards her mouth.

She quirked a brow and he sighed. _'I know not to drink it dumbass,'_ she deliberately began to tip it. He tugged it out of her hands before she could blink, "Unless you want your body to become infested with parasites then I advise you to listen, "See another thing about Zeref is that he liked to _lecture_ her like a teacher and it thoroughly peeved her. "We'll boil it back at the cave."

She pulled a face, "But im _so_ thirsty," her lips turned down in a pout.

Ignoring the jest; he worked on fastening the caps on both canteens, storing them back into his satchel. Out of sight and out of her reach, unless she wanted to tussle with him to get to it.

Lucy huffed, and stood back up as Zeref began walking again.

"I know you're socially incompetent," She pointed out as she latched onto his stride, tingling delightedly when she caught his slight twitch, "But a word of _advice_ , you should never, ah, treat _guests_ so rudely." She heard him inhale. "Gives off the wrong impression."

"Ah."

She bristled.

"Can you at least tell me where we're going now?"

"On a walk."

"Oh I definitely can see that-"Totally no sarcasm there, "- and are you always this contemptuous?" she pressed further. Must he be so elusive all the time? A straight, simple answer seemed to escape him whenever he happened to talk. " _Wheeeere_ are we going?"

"You'll see soon enough." He only said.

How maddening!

A cascading waterfall wasn't what she'd had in mind. "It's stunning," awe enveloped her. The high cliffs supporting the water, the lush greenery of moss on the bed rocks, the deliciously beautiful looking clear water….

Zeref paused at the tree line, "If you're done gawking," oh she wanted to hit him! "I'll leave you to your own devices for now. The waters are safe, use them as you wish."

"I suggest you not venture towards the western forest." he recommended before he left, pivoting on his spot and heading into another direction.

Lucy stood there for a few seconds before deciding it was safe, giddily sliding off her layers of clothing one by one. Her top went first and she heaved a sigh of relief when her breasts were freed for the first time in days, and they bounced as she tugged the rest of her clothes off. The air was fresh, clean and moist which felt amazing on her skin. Next she unrolled the smelly bandages covering her feet and legs, shucking them off to the side.

She heaped her boots and bra neatly atop of a rock that sat close to the spring, then grabbed the rest of her clothes and proceeded to enter the clear, gorgeous pool. She dipped her toes in first, testing out the water and when she was satisfied, eased herself the rest of the way in.

Waddling into the shallow part of the water, she moaned as she sat down, stretching out her legs. The cool water worked its way over her muscles and relaxed the tense lines in her shoulders, legs, and chest: like a breeze flowing over her heated skin.

It was bliss.

Staying there for what felt like hours but certainly only a few short minutes, she began meticulously freshening up. She scrubbed at her skin and clothing as best as possible (Her hands pruning) and submerged the wet cloth in the water. Satisfied with all she could do, she stood up and got out of the pool.

Goosebumps rose along her skin, and she shook as she set off to lay her clothes on a rock so they could dry. She squeezed the moisture out of them as much as she could before placing them on the decently sized rock that had enough sunlight hitting it before diving back into the pool of cool water.

Lucy happily indulged herself in some much needed alone time.

* * *

He'd returned some time later to collect her only to be greeted by the sight of her naked back. Zeref stopped in his tracks, shielded just beyond the bushels of plants as he watched in silence as the very bare woman enjoyed herself.

Creamy skin flushed from the heat, a nice set of long toned legs that led up to flared hips and the golden swirl of her hair cascaded down her back.

He felt a warm prickle in his body.

He turned away from ogling her. Like a pubescent child he'd peeked on an unsuspecting female and all her feminine _goodies_.

That would not do.

* * *

That night Lucy tossed and turned in her sleep, incoherent mumbles leaving her mouth.

She could not stop shivering.

Rolling over to her side, Lucy cracked open an eye and exhaled loudly. The clothes she had soaked hadn't fully dried, and her back felt damp with the thin bra she did wear. The _one_ time she was lacking in the department of spare articles of clothes…

She eyed Zeref who lay on his back, hands folded behind his head. He hadn't uttered a single word when he'd come back to retrieve her, peculiarly looking abashed. He'd shed his white toga and covered the empty ground next to him with it. Lucy made a sound at his gall, while she was freezing herself off he had no qualms about showcasing how _unaffected_ he was. Rolling over with her back against the fire she rubbed her hands together for some much needed warmth, afterwards she tried willing herself to sleep. When that didn't work, she sat up and… _considered_ an option.

A strong gust of icy air blew into the cave.

Mind made up she swiftly inched towards him, "Zeref?" she whispered. She didn't want to ask him for…assistance but with the way the temperature was dropping she could seriously get hypothermia. And she didn't want to risk that, not out here.

When he didn't budge or show any outward sign of having heard her, she nudged him hard with a toe. "Zeref..." she muttered a little louder, crouching and hesitantly reaching a hand out to shake his shoulder.

Thankfully he chose that moment to open his eyes, and she dropped her hand. He blearily stared, "Lucy?" he questioned sleepily. "Is something the matter?"

Sweet kami, why did he have to look cute?!

She looked to the side, "Yeah…I er," She didn't feel guilty, nope. "I-uh," Darn it her words were escaping her...

"Is there something you need?" He voiced through the awkward silence, sitting upright. Lucy squirmed under his dark gaze, biting her bottom lip.

"Year I was wondering..." She trailed off uncertainly, not entire sure how to broach the subject.

Zeref scrutinized her impatiently, "Yes?" Lucy blew out an unsteady breath, it was all or nothing she supposed.

"I was wondering... ificouldsleepwithyoutonight."

There she said it.

Zeref stared drolly at her, looking lost.

"..What?"

Her ears burned as she repeated her question, this time much slower.

His eyes roamed her state of undress and widened, she then realized the suggestive connotations that he took out of it. Lucy quickly provided an explanation, offended that he would think she'd proposition herself. "Not like _that_ , its freezing and my clothes hadn't dried enough." She crossed her arms frostily.

He nodded, and mulled over it for about ten seconds before scooting a little to the side, allowing her permission to slide right in. She didn't want to grin but it slipped through, however small. Lucy eagerly settled down on his mat, absorbing the warmth he'd vacated. "Thank you..." she mumbled, getting comfortable and turning on her side.

It probably wasn't a good choice on her part to turn her back towards him, especially this close but she was tired and needed some sleep. Besides, he hadn't done anything bearing of harm towards her yet, so why start now?

Or maybe she was thinking like that because her guard had dropped.

Still her health was priority and if that meant snuggling up to _him_ of all people, she'd do so again. Her pride was already bruised enough of how helpless she was, it wouldn't hurt to take a beating once more.

* * *

What do you do when you wake up surrounded by warmth after a freezing night? You dig right into it and latch on like a leech. She was comfy, she was cosy and it felt _great_.

Now if only that arm around her waist hadn't tightened, pushing her flush against a toned chest, a firm and strong lock around her middle and thus waking her up further. If only when she blinked her eyes open, she didn't see the white toga wrapped around her, or the long legs intertwined intimately with her own. If only she didn't chose that moment to wiggle and be made aware of the very, prominent hardness nestled against her bottom.

Lucy flushed with heat, opening and closing her mouth, gaping at nothing. She squirmed as something stirred within her as he stroked the skin of her stomach, unconsciously as it was. The groan that came with her fidgeting startled her and she released a small squeak as his anatomy very obviously twitched in excitement.

Lucy was at a lost and felt oddly complimented at her enlisting such a response, though ashamed at exactly _who_ she'd stimulated.

Easing herself out of his arms, she quickly exited the cave, desperately needing to cool off and get her head on straight. This wasn't- this shouldn't have happened. Good gosh, she could imagine what her friends would say if she told them. Or the guild, how disappointed the would be.

' _Why am I even contemplating this?'_ Of course nothing would happen, nothing had _happened_. Why was she jumping to scenarios? She had no feelings for him except hatred which is all that mattered. Even though he hadn't attacked her, was docile and…-

 _No_ , she loathed him.

He was a despicable man.

But why did that feel so wrong to think?

She was so confused.

This was all so confusing.

* * *

 **Edited: 23/11/2016**


	6. Chapter 6

Thoughts: _'Yo'_

Dialogue: "Yo"

* * *

Lucy's skin itched.

Zeref had woken up sometime after her, getting up to tend to the fire. She was certain he hadn't realised what happened in the morning.

Or she hoped he didn't.

And she wasn't going to ask.

Zeref had a second pot of water boiling to the side and didn't look up as he handed her food, silently, absently.

She sat down and ate quietly, taking her time chewing on some sweet papaya.

Lucy idly scratched at the skin of her wrist once she finished her 'breakfast' for the day, and watched dully as Zeref went about, doing whatever he did. Moving supplies from one place to the other, coming and going out of the cave and pacing. Practicing some kind of rune magic on the walls. You know, the usual.

She watched with interest as he smoothed some brown ink onto some parchment, scribbles and patterns appearing and falling apart as his hand remained suspended in the air. "Don't you have a place of residence?" she queried, amazed as coded symbols and words began to form.

"No."

"A cave within a jungle just doesn't seem like an acceptable living arrangement," she began unwrapping the bandages on her legs and rewrapping them with fresher ones. Her clothes were back on.

"I find it peaceful." How _ironic_.

"What are you doing with that?" she pointed at the moving liquid.

"That is none of your concern," did he have to be such an insufferable asshole?

"It looks like a map," He didn't have to stare at her like that either, she was only curious!

He pushed forward a jar with one hand, the other concentrating atop of the parchment. "Your hands and skin are beginning to blister, rub that on yourself." The murky coloured paste looked grainy and smelled like grass. It was great to know he was paying attention to her _hands_ and not her questions.

"Let me guess, more herbs?" she questioned, unamused as she examined its contents.

"Correct, well done." He looked like he wanted to clap, which irritated her _just a little bit_ more.

"Ha ha, hilarious." she mock laughed, earning a boyish grin from Zeref- that she did not see-. Dipping a hand in, she revelled at how smooth and cool it was despite the heat and appearance before pulling her hand back out. She smeared the gunk onto her forearms and hands, knees and thighs that were also reddened, then massaged it thoroughly, watching with awareness as the substance soaked into her skin and gave her an olive glow. Shame he didn't have anything she could do for her hair.

Zeref rolled up his stuff and sat crossed legged on his mat, vacantly staring into the fire. The silence was like all other silences they'd shared- tense. But there was an extra bit of something else swimming in the air today, which unnerved Lucy.

She blew a strand of hair that fell into her eyes, it was getting too long. "Can I borrow that dagger you got?" she asked, clumping her hair in a fist. She needed to get rid of some of it. It was quite damaged already and was only getting in the way.

He blinked at her.

She rolled her eyes, "For my _hair,_ I need to cut it off."

He handed it over and she began clipping it short.

Zeref watched as Lucy grumbled while hacking off her blonde hair, littering the floor with the strands. Interestingly enough, she'd been correct when she'd guessed on what he was working on. She was a perceptive little thing.

But she didn't need to know that.

This girl…. He wanted to scrub the memory of their morning out of his memory. He'd first feigned asleep when she woke up but then she began _moving_ against him with such delicious friction it was sickening. He couldn't withhold his groan when her perky backside pressed backwards into his groin.

He cursed his inability to control himself, panting as she fled the cave.

He was a little surprised at first when she'd woken him up and request to share his bed. He was aware of her distrust, but appraised her courage on approaching him nonetheless. Others wouldn't have dared to do that, not his underlings or any captives.

She liked playing with fire, this one.

But still, with such a delectable, feminine body pressed up against him, it had broken the dam he'd been keeping intact and he just couldn't resist holding the blonde close to him as much as possible. Having her warm and soft body tucked into his own felt so _right_. He wanted to savour every bit of it, her warmth, her scent, the curve of her hips and those creamy legs entwined with his own. He'd sucked it up greedily.

He knew what he was doing was wrong, but _it had been so long_.

The way he saw it, being deprived of human contact did that to a person, but then again the misanthropy he'd held onto for so long should have discouraged such unorthodox actions. He was trying to keep her away but she would just waltz right back in.

His loathed his damning curse.

* * *

Lisanna did not like to meddle with her sister's business. Although by the time she and Cana kept returning upstairs and presumably consulting Master Makarov was when she began to snoop. The glimpses she caught of Cana made her nerves spike up. The older girl looked a mess, bags under her eyes and cheerful nature absent. Mira, when she came home, avoided her questions like the plague.

So she did the only thing she could do, with the lack of information.

She observed.

And she noticed a few startling things, but the most crucial one concerned one of her fellow guild members, namely one Celestial mage by the name of Lucy. Lucy the sweet, lively mage that everyone adored wasn't here. She wasn't here to break up the fights or to converse with Lisanna or anybody else.

She was just gone.

She hadn't approached Natsu or anyone else with her findings. Why else would she? The guild was content on destroying the guild and fighting with each other. If there was something wrong, they wouldn't be here, happily play fighting without a care in the world.

Still, an ominous feeling ticked at her.

So Lisanna decided it was time she did her own investigating.

Which found her eavesdropping by the master's office. She kneeled by the hard door, very much aware it could open at any moment. But this was important; she needed to know what the hell was going on. Hushed voices and sound of movement flowed into her ears as she strained to hear what they were talking about.

The raucous cheers the guild was creating downstairs was making it a little hard for her to hear but she managed to pick up most of the conversation.

* * *

"You're certain of this?" The Master's cautious voice echoed the room.

" _Old man_ , you're grinding my gears here, yes I am sure of it!" Cana slammed her hands on top of the table. She snatched the Tarot cards out of her back pocket. "This was no accident, I guarantee you something happened to Lucy!" She waved them in his face.

She'd explained to him in very vivid detail what the cards meant and the possibilities of their guild member's disappearance. To think he was still unconvinced! "We've told you already that Lucy hadn't come back, what more do you need?!"

"There's a chance you may be mistaken,"

She threw her hands in the air.

"Master," Mira piped up, "I personally checked the logs; it's been more than two days since anyone's seen her."

He still held back though, "And what about Natsu, don't you think he and his team would have brang this up to me if they were troubled?"

"That's because they don't fucking know! Too busy fighting downstairs, thanks to you not _shutting_ that shit the fuck down!"

"Do not raise your voice at me young one, it is not because I doubt you. I only want to be sure and be cautious with our proceedings." He shot back solemnly. He didn't appreciate the girl's attitude but could relate to her alarm.

Lucy was his guild member, his child and if she really was _missing_ there'd be hell to pay.

"Cautious? Cautious for what! This is my friend we are talking about, your own guild member. The guild has the right to know and we have to assemble a rescue party. Immediately!"

"Cana just-"Mira tried interjecting.

"No!" Cana cut her off angrily. Mira nearly took a step back when she saw the fury on her friend's face. "I am fucking fed up with your shit old man, you've been blabbing the same old crap since we came forward with this information. 'Are you positive, maybe this happened, maybe that?' Blah blah blah. Take the accountability to see for your fucking self. And kami help me, if you still don't believe us I'll go and get her back myself, with or without your approval."

"You would rebel?"

"You bet your ass I would."

Makarov's emotions were a jumble, this girl's loyalty to her friend was admirable and he had high hopes for Cana. She was young, but diligent.

And a little too arrogant for her own good.

"No, I will not let you go alone." He clasped his hands. Cana arched a brow, he realised she was questioning his authority and waging whether to make due on her words; which he couldn't let happen.

He sighed, still he _did_ believe her, and "We will begin a contingency plan, form the squads and then start the rescue operation." A smile began to bloom on her youthful face, "But I warn you Cana, making threats will not help you get anywhere." He motioned the two women forward, "Now let's produce a plan on how to find Lucy."

Cana still scowling, nodded, breathing heavily through her nose. _'Finally.'_

* * *

' _What!?"_

Lisanna balked away from the door, breath coming in short pants. She'd only listened a little bit but heard enough.

Lucy was missing! She knew something was up!

She had to tell the guild!

Running down the stairs she headed towards Team Natsu with a single purpose.

' _I need to let them know!'_

* * *

 **Edited: 23/11/2016**


	7. Chapter 7

Thoughts: _'Yo'_

Dialogue: "Yo"

* * *

Lucy toyed with her short, choppy wet hair. She'd cut it roughly chin length, with two longer bangs framing her face and hanging below her chin by a couple of inches.

The heavy thud of rain spread around the clearing. Not a soul in sight occupied the jungle, only she alone stood under the heavy barrel of deluge. Her clothes were fully soaked, her skin cold and turning a pale shade of blue. Her teeth chattered, on their own accord. Yet she still remained, unwilling to remove herself from the torrent of water washing over the earth. Apparent to her being, the rain began to skim to a drizzle. Lightly pecking at her, the heaven's cry died down, dark and grey clouds rumbled their protest.

She missed home, Fairy Tail and her friends. She missed her _family_ and her keys. She'd never been separated from them this long and it was beginning to dawn on her that she might not ever see them again. She was speedily turning into quite the pessimist.

She heaved a sigh. Smiles were few and far between these days; scowls were becoming a common occurrence. Zeref was too….alien. It was a mystery on what he thought and she wasn't privy to his intents either.

At least he didn't scare her anymore.

Well okay that was a lie; he didn't scare her that _much_ anymore.

She got up from her spot as the rain started again, muscles protesting at her sudden movement, for they hadn't been used for the long hours she had sat there solemnly musing. She frowned in distaste as she looked at her legs, shaking some of the caked mud off her shoes and began walking back from whence she came.

Zeref was waiting for her at the mouth of the cave when she returned; an involuntary shiver creeping up her spine as she looked at him. He grimaced once she neared; the look not lost on her as he wrapped a heavy cloak over her shoulders. Lucy tried not to tense too much, but probably failed anyway judging by the look he sent her afterwards.

She couldn't comprehend what it meant.

* * *

 **The guild**

Lisanna bounded towards where Team Natsu lounged as if her life depended on it, coming to a halting stop once she reached them and taking a much needed gulp of air. She spotted Natsu and tried grabbing his attention first and foremost, being the most difficult one to break the news to, "Natsu I need to tell you something-"

Gray knocked him hard on the head. "Oh come on, that was a dirty cheap shot!" Natsu yelled, getting up and chasing after him. Lisanna went unnoticed.

"Natsu!" the fire mage was too busy dodging blows to pay her any heed.

"He won't hear you Lisanna,"

"Erza!" Thank kami, someone with open ears.

The weapon master was sharpening one of her blades, "Do you need something?" she asked not unkindly.

"I-uff," she really needed to talk to Natsu first but he was rolling on the ground wrestling with Gray, "oh, _shit_ , Lucy is missing!" it came out as a shout.

The noise immediately stopped.

Erza gasped, dropping her blade.

Every head present in the hall was turned towards her in shock, registering what she just said.

" _What did you just say_?" someone whispered, looking at her in panic- needing to hear it repeated a second time. Natsu pushed Gray off roughly, "Say that again."

"Lucy…" Lisanna croaked out as she saw the saddening expression on his face, "She's gone."

"What do you mean she's gone?" Ezra's voice cut through, like ice.

A fat tear slipped out of Lisanna's eye, and slid down her cheek as she nodded miserably, repeating it. "Lucy's missing, been for days now." A deathly silence was all she got in return; the looks upon her friend's faces were ashen, sickly.

" _ **What do you mean**_?"

"I don't know!" she snapped in defeat, "She hasn't been back in days, haven't you noticed?!"

"No you're lying. Lucy isn't gone or missing-"

Her tongue clucked, "How would you know? Have _you_ checked on her lately?"

Erza had the decency to look ashamed, "Well no…" she admitted.

"She's _missing_." Lisanna stressed. "And you, none of you, had any self-awareness to realise one of your comrade's seat was cold at the table."

"Where is she then?" Natsu whispered from behind her, deadly calm.

"TELL ME!" He screamed when she didn't answer, a fierce look contorting his face. Lisanna had to take a step back; the suffering in his voice and desperation in his eyes scared her. But she _understood_ , she understood because this was his friend, this was his _best friend_.

"All of you, silence!" Master Makarov's voice bellowed from the first floor, standing atop of the railing looking down at them all with his hands held behind his back. Cana and Mira also joined him, scanning the crowd below. "You have one nosy sister Mira," Cana mentioned, shaking her head.

"I know."

"Everybody please, calm down and don't be alarmed," ah, maybe that was not tactful of him. He cringed slightly, glimpsing the uneasy looks passed between the girls at his side; they seemed to think so too.

' _I'm never good at this,'_ He cleared his throat, "We've discovered a problem concerning one your guild mates-"

"So it's true then?" came Erza's distraught voice.

"I'm sure Lisanna has already told you-"He stared her down, "Yes, it is."

"That can't be, no we would have noticed." Titania shook her head in denial.

"Oh? Have you seen or heard from her then?" He intoned curtly.

"…No." She ground out, red-faced.

"Maybe she's at home!" one of them shouted in the crowd.

"Yeah!" a chorus agreed.

"She's not there," Mira murmured, "Cana stopped by there first, finding nothing."

"Where the hell has she gone?" Natsu hissed from his spot-his skin burning with rage and worry-the two emotions being hard to separate from another. Rage at himself because- because- he should have known! And worry because no one apparently knew where she was!

"Calm down Natsu…" Gray tried consoling him, he himself feeling unbalanced with the news. Not knowing how everything had gone so downhill in the span of a few minutes.

" _ **You**_ , shut up!" his friend roared, fists clenching and his element begging to be let out, to be let free.

"Will you all shut the fuck up!" snapped Cana from above, "Listen to what we have to say first!" she yelled. The rest looked shocked at her outburst.

"Thank you Cana," Makarov turned his attention away from her, "I do not expect any of you to not panic, I can understand your confusion and frustration at knowing little in such a short time. Believe me, we, "he gestured to the two women off to the side- "don't know much ourselves. But we have some _leads_ to go on."

Levy, who was one of the more distressed ones felt the shame cloud over her body and mind, "What do we do then?" she spoke shakily. How worthless as a friend she was, she hadn't even realised Lucy, her closest friend, was gone.

"We're constructing a plan as we speak," He directed Cana forward, stepping down from the platform to let her take over. Cana's lips thinned as she nodded shortly, taking a quick glance at the people down below looking up at her with questioning gazes.

"First, you all need to sit down and listen to me as I explain the situation the way it is…." And so the guild was educated.

* * *

 **Edited: 23/11/2016**


	8. Chapter 8

Thoughts: _'Yo'_

Dialogue: "Yo"

* * *

They were split into several tactical groups, each formation carrying members that either specialized in reconnaissance or had other practical skillsets that could be of use. Thus naturally with their heightened sense of smell and skills far broader than the average guild member, the Dragon slayers were given the task of leading the main search parties. It was the logical thing to do for this mission, with three to five teams carrying communication Lacrima's and reporting with hourly updates to the guild master.

Cana, Mira, Natsu, Gray and Romeo were one such team. The tension in the air simmering between all of them was almost palatable, as they travelled together towards Oak Town. The plan was simple really. Search for clues, anything that seemed amiss and scrabble to find any leads to latch onto, before reporting back. If any definite leads did come up, they were ordered to follow through without preamble, because this was their missing guild member and they'd do anything to get her back. The weeks passed in this assembly, a frenzy in which everybody sucked themselves dry trying to spread all over the place. They searched crevices, rock faces, and the bottoms of riverbeds, deserted towns and going as far as infiltrating underbelly rigs. Leaving their Guild hall an empty memory, only used for regrouping and planning. The once carefree atmosphere had vanished like steam billowing into the air, with the situation so bleak.

They wanted, needed their beloved Celestial mage back home.

And yet despite their optimism that Lucy was going to be found one way or another, their stomachs still churned and bubbled with worry when nothing came up, not one single peep from the civilians or local mage guilds they happened to interrogate. They searched desperately, watching and waiting like hawks on a hunt, fearing the troubling _other_ possibilities and despite themselves they began to use threats as a tactic. Yet there was **nothing**. Each group carried out their individual tasks with resolve and solid effort, returning to the guild as fast as possible to hear of any news from the others. And yet each time they were let down, they themselves not finding anything of use. It was impossible some began to say, the weaker willed of the guild voicing out their hopelessness. But they were shot down by the hard gazes they received in their lack of faith, Fairy Tail had faced enemies stronger than gods and **this** wasn't going to put a dent in their armour.

They couldn't allow it.

Their situation did not go unnoticed from the outside world either. Alliances stirred when they began hearing of a 'loss' within the famous guild 'Fairy Tail' and their interests piqued when they heard of the struggle the guild was going through. Guild masters turned their heads away when their members probed about the sayings floating around across towns, like a wildfire spreading its flames. They knew of the situation of course, for they were informed themselves and pleaded to keep an eye out for one of Fairy Tail's guild member. Their blonde Celestial mage.

The Masters did not turn their heads away from this request. But they also did not actively participate in helping out either.

* * *

When some form of valuable information is revealed, one would expect to feel a sense of elation and a trickling relief spreading through their system. This was not exactly the case, however, when something was finally found in result of their valiant efforts. It wasn't exactly motivating.

It was on the outskirts of Oak Town, hidden within a small compartment on one the trains that they searched and found Lucy's keys. Natsu's sensitive nose twitched as he picked up that familiar scent, hope flaring soundly in his heart. Her jingling keys rested innocently under one dusty seat in the fourth cart, Lucy herself nowhere to be found. Natsu tried to follow more of her scent but reiterated the frustrating truth that her trail had ended with the keys.

"Gosh Luce," he clenched his hand around the silver keys, every golden Zodiac omitted from the leather pouch. "You're killing us, why'd you have to go and disappear…" They could not discern where the rest of her keys were.

Moodily exiting the train, Natsu yanked an attendant by the arm and fired questions. He released him with a snarl when no suitable variation of an answer could be presented. The rest of his team noticed this with consternation, "Oy, Natsu," Gray warned. The Dragon slayer ignored him.

"Listen," Natsu grabbed the annoyed man by the collar of his way too expensive looking work-shirt, "If I find out that you hid something from me, anything, I'll come back here and _rip_ you apart." He shrugged the sniffling pansy off and parted away from his group.

"Natsu!" It was Erza who called this time.

He stopped and shot his team a look of scathing contempt before walking off again, leaving them.

Mira opened her mouth to call him back but desisted and instead turned a glower on the lanky worker. He squeaked at the attention and scrambled to hurry away, abandoning his dignity. "Lunatics the lot of you!" They heard him say as he swept past.

Gray scoffed when no one said anything nor moved, "Well what now?" he droned on almost boredly, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants, "The moron is being a pain-in-the-arse and we've got half of her Lucy's keys, sans Lucy." He glanced sideways at the silent Cana, lip curling upward when she glared back at him.' _All these problems, so troublesome_.' Gray thought humourlessly, dragging his eyes across the faces of the rest of his disheartened 'team'.

"We've at least _found_ them, which is promising; and Natsu will come back." Cana spoke coldly, before lowering her gaze to the ground and crossing her arms, "There is nothing else to it." The wind roughed up her hair and shadowed her eyes, obscuring the view for the rest of the group from the bitter tears gathering in her brown orbs. She had to be strong; she wouldn't allow them to see her pain. She still had faith in her missing friend, unwilling to think that Lucy, strong and vibrant Lucy had kicked the bucket.

Natsu did return, after taking some time to cool off. His furious aura from before had dissipated, leaving him with a blank expression instead, which was unnerving. However this façade of this fooled no one; his eyes were still very expressive. Smouldering with repressed emotions threatening to spill, Mira suggested that they move forward. And continue they did, spanning out into the town to see if they could hunt down any more clues. Lucy's pouch of keys remained in the possession of Natsu, who refused to relinquish them.

"Maybe we are going the wrong way about this," Mira finally spoke up once they all informed each other with their findings- which were not one thing. The other's looked at her in question with dulled eyes.

"How so?" questioned Cana, whose shoulders had dropped into a slouch. The tense atmosphere was getting too heavy, the pressure grounding her downwards.

"Well," The beauty started, "Look at it this way, if Lucy was kidnapped by a Dark guild as we have thought- hypothetically speaking- wouldn't they also take her keys? They are valuable pieces. So why leave them instead of taking them for let's say, to use for ransom or add to a collection?" She thought it was odd when they found Lucy's keys –some of them gone, yes- but not all of them had been taken. It was obvious speculation at this point that a third party had been involved and had done something to their teammate. "I can understand taking the Zodiacs, but why not the Silver keys? Why leave them behind?"

"If that's-"Cana started before getting rudely cut off by the Fire Mage at her side.

"Stop with the stalling and get to the point." Natsu snarled at Mira.

She gave him a dirty look, "I don't think it's plenty clear to you all what im _trying_ to say, which is I don't think Lucy got snatched in the first place like we've thought. No, I think something _spiritual_ occurred."

"That makes no sense." Natsu muttered gruffly.

" _Oh_?" Mira retorted. "Then please explain to me how Cana's Tarots are connected with Lucy, why her smell has vanished? Is it not a conceivable possibility? Do you _doubt_ Cana's magic?"

"Excuse me for not finding her 'spiritual abduction' to make sense?! A person just doesn't evaporate into thin air! If that were really the case then I wouldn't be able fucking _feel_ her!" Natsu's voice became louder. It was clear he believed Lucy was kidnapped, sharing the same belief as many others. But Mira –obviously-wasn't so convinced. "And i trust my nose, so how the fuck does that work?"

"Don't get pissy with her," Cana snapped at him, "I don't see you sharing any ideas." She shook her head, "Maybe Mira is right and we've been searching like blind fools from the start, in our ignorance we didn't think that other, stronger and much vaguer sources could be explored." She disregarded the burning eyes drilling a hole into the side of her head, instead considering Mira to see if she had anymore to share. The Soul Mage shook her head for the questioning look, so no.

"Maybe she ran away?" Gray proposed.

The others gave him looks of incredulity, as if to say; "Are you stupid?"

"What?" He barked at them, "It was just a thought."

"She didn't run away." Spoke Natsu.

"How the hell would you know that? She could have cloaked herself and hidden in another country for all we know."

"That's not true!"

"It's a possibility we can't ignore." Gray gritted out. He didn't want to believe it himself, but all was up on the table at the moment, as Cana said so herself. If Mira could suggest that she'd 'disappeared' by some godly happenstance then he could do the same. And they couldn't rule out even the craziest ideas.

Natsu advanced on him with an unwavering stride, "You have no idea what you're talking about." He hissed in the ice mage's indifferent face, "Lucy isn't like that. Lucy would never do that to us!" He couldn't believe it; did Gray trust Lucy so little?

Gray stared him down then scoffed, angling his body away. "Whatever you say Natsu." He knew he was being somewhat of a dick and the fact that he doubted his blonde team mate was making his stomach churn. But he just couldn't help it.

Natsu's respect for his friend significantly dimmed and turned to the rest of the group before speaking with purpose. "Lucy was taken away from us; there isn't anything more to it. _I'm_ going to get her back, pounding those assholes that took her into the dirt and make them regret ever messing with Fairy Tail."

* * *

 **Edited: 23/11/2016**


	9. Chapter 9

Thoughts: _'Yo'_

Dialogue: "Yo"

* * *

He couldn't deny it anymore.

The days swept by fast, faster than he or she could keep track of. Seemingly a month had gone by, when only a little over a couple of weeks had passed. He wasn't one to fret over the perpetual loss of time, with him being over four hundred years or so (He snorted humourlessly). But with her presence invading his morose lifestyle, he was beginning to regret not killing her in the first place.

Firstly, the girl was smart and had a sharp bite. She reminded him of _her_ , but whereas _she_ had the characteristic of childish wonder to her twinkling eyes, this girl radiated knowledge like a flowing river. Chocolate pairs of eyes that were so intrigued by the world, framed by a pretty face created a dangerous combo.

And, that to him- was undeniably attractive.

Which shouldn't be a possibility. Him, attracted to one another after so long? Could fate be that cruel?

 _Yes_.

Yes it could.

* * *

She lay in the thick branch of a tree, bored out of her mind. Having climbed it this morning to rid herself of his overbearing presence. For the past few days his eyes seemed to follow her every move, which kept her guarded around him. She did not **want** his attention, not when she was still wondering why she wasn't a corpse rotting on the ground where he'd freed her. The man was a conundrum, acting the opposite of what he was supposed to be. It bewildered her greatly, seeing not a mad man, but something sadder in its place.

Something a little empty.

And that pissed her off.

He wasn't supposed to be… **this** , whatever shell he currently was. She was no fool. There were demons writhing behind his dark gaze.

Perhaps it was the writer in her, or the big sympathetic heart in her chest, but she couldn't help but feel bad a little. He seemed so… **sad**. It was kind of pathetic. A flurry of birds passed her vision, scattering the sunlight that she sat under.

She frowned.

"What the hell…" she muttered, groaning as she sat up. Shaking the leaf that fluttered on top of her head, she turned towards east.

' _And there he is.'_

Legs crossed under him, toga forgotten within the cave. The man of her thoughts was quietly mediating under the warmth of the intense sun. His head was tilted upwards a little, and his eyes were closed shut. That's all he did, mediate and sit down all the time. If not that, he was off getting food for them both. His reluctance to answer any questions of hers warded her off, so she had taken to putting space between. Good job that had done, the first time she tried escaping him she'd wasted four hours that'd eventually led her to walking in a circle and coming right back into his arms.

" _Removing yourself from this island is futile." He said, sitting as he was now, only his eyes were open and staring at her in amusement. She glared._

" _It was worth giving it a try." She snipped._

 _He chuckled._

" _Only_ I _can get you out of here."_

And that was that. He went back to ignoring her until a couple of days ago when he started his creepy, intensive staring.

He was so confusing.

She hated it.

She wanted out.

And most importantly, yes even more imperative than getting back home. She needed to know what happened to her keys. She missed her spirits dearly. They represented home, they were practically her everything. Her connection with them **was** her **magic** , and the separation between her and them was unbearable. She could feel the heavy and empty space left behind, where her celestial spirits belonged.

And it panged her to think she might not get back to them. Not without getting to say a proper goodbye.

* * *

The calm before a storm. How cliché that was, yet It was the truth none the less. He was not ignorant of the wards surrounding the island and what transpired beyond them. He also knew the girl was aware of some sort of blockage, hence her giving up on her pointless attempts on breaching them. And yet… she seemed to be _waiting_. Clever girl she was, waiting for the most opportune moment to make her move. At least he theorized. He was not, unfortunately, a mind reader and didn't have the discretion to ask her directly. That would be tactless and dispel any advantage he had over her.

The magic in his core swelled, and he pushed it towards his palms. Like water, it slipped and receded, a difficult task to manage. Manage he did though. This 'art' took patience, not even the most skilled of water mages would have ease in doing it. And they specialized with this particular type of magic!

The spasms of energy slithered across his arms, intimately coiling and touching. It was hard to place just where he wanted his magic to settle. Hell, if they stayed put at his fingertips he'd give a childish 'whoop' of celebration, alas, that was impossible to do so. His magic could not stay put in a place too long, especially visible to the naked eye. It was too unstable, too chaotic and hazardous to his own body. The last time he attempted bringing his raw magical power to his fingers, they'd snapped painfully.

"FUUUUUUUUCKKK-!" his female companion shouted in the distance, provoking him to snort. She'd been restless, venturing upwards and into the dense foliage to muse and rave. He did not blame her. Not with his eyes following her every move for the recent days. He'd given her no impression to expect _why_ he was doing it (A stoic mask is a great tool for times like these!) and would _never_ proceed to tell her. It was embarrassing. Attraction for a woman was dangerous, give them one hint of the power they held and they could destroy you. This girl was no exception, with her smarts and looks- he didn't want to predict an outcome of what a confession would bring.

He sniffed the air, wincing as his power danced upon his skin. It burned as it touched like a sprinkling of fire. Not like Natsu's though. Natsu's fire was a hot, blazing flame that ate and swallowed whole. His flames, which were how they looked when his power manifested in a corporal form; albeit dark and ugly and consuming, did not burn, instead it withered. Like a flower under the unbearable power of the sun. Except, his flames accelerated the process, so much so, that his power could literally turn a person into ash; with just a single touch. A word to describe it, in simple terms, _delicate_ to handle.

As if sensing his distracted thoughts, his power fluctuated and bounced, turning from a prickling of pain into full-blown agony. He released a startled hiss and suddenly cut off his power, panting heavily when it withdrew back. Taking a few seconds to compose himself, he stood and stretched, knowing he could not continue again; not for another day at least. His bangs stuck to his cheeks, and he shivered when the breeze swept by his sweating person.

He eyed the tree where Lucy dangled, kicking her feet to and fro in the air in boredom.

"Zeeereeeef." She crowed childishly. He watched as her head plopped to the side to seek him out. Squinting at him, she raised a hand and pointed. ' _"IF YOU DON'T LET ME GET OFF THIS ISLAND THIS SECOND I WILL CASTRATE YOU AND FEED YOUR BALLS TO THE FISH!"_ 'Is what she wanted to say but instead groaned out a haggard, "Let me off this blasted hellhole. I've had enough…"

Okay, so she _might not_ have been planning something devious as he assumed.

The dark mage chuckled lowly, strutting over. "If I allowed that, I wouldn't have my fun now would i?" he teased. Riling her up was dangerous, but oh so fun to do.

Lucy gawked, "Find your entertainment from _someone_ else you irritable asshole." She snarled as she picked up her jaw from the floor. To think her manners and decorum could disappear within a few weeks in his company. Her father was probably spinning in his grave. Standing up, she jumped down and confronted him head on. "I am not your damn toy to play around with, so either you let me go or kill me."

She tensed as his black eyes glimmered, red tinting his irises.

"No." Something dark bloomed from within then, engulfing him. Her words, 'toy' triggered discomfort and his agreeable mood vanished. He shook in quite fury, confusion marring his features for a split second. To hear her refer to herself as…the way she _said_ it… was all wrong. It felt _**wrong**_ to his ears. "I suppose you're not."

Lucy hissed at him, "So release me!" she cried. This wasn't turning out the way she'd wanted, but it was too late to go back to their genial truce (?) now.

"I can't do that."

"You can't or you won't?" her eyes flashed.

"You stay here." He muttered, dispelling any hope she might have had. He began striding forward. Her confident front was failing her, but she stood her ground. He could tell she wanted to back off, because the reality of the situation was that she still remained as the **prey** and he, the **hunter**. He was the deciding factor here, not her. The poor girl was all but rendered incapable of doing anything under his will. He ignored the twinge of _something_ burdening his blackened heart.

"Why?" She asked quietly, her gaze unwillingly lowering to his boots as they came closer and closer, towering over her and casting a shadow. He could _feel_ her shudder in disgust as he neared and he smiled sadly, a sight lost to her. "What is my purpose here? I'm nobody, not your friend but an enemy. Why keep me?"

She gasped as he seized her chin, fingers cold against her warmth. Something came over him as he eyed her quaking hands and he did not think as he brought his face closer to hers, before speaking.

"The reason is," his eyes flickered blood red again; flitting down to her pink lips, "I _enjoy_ you and have no intention of killing you, or permitting you to leave." He murmured, before closing the gap between their bodies.

* * *

 **Edited: 23/11/2016**


	10. Chapter 10

Thoughts: _'Yo'_

Dialogue: "Yo"

* * *

There were those moments in life where time slowed to progress at a rate so sluggish; everything around that person became startling in its clarity. The congregation of foraging mosquitos, the heated floor, the dynamic intensity of this place. It all came to her in slow motion, sliding in front of her eyes like high end quality photographs. Lucy had frozen as his face came nearer, brain going into a complete shutdown. His breath was harsh, hot and it was astonishing how he made her feel, _good_ yet _wrong_ , an emotion encompassing her being like a closed glove. The imagery of cotton balls clogged her ears, his voice sounding an ocean away despite their closeness.

And of which lasted all of ten seconds as her senses came spiralling into her like an icy blizzard, knocking away her hypnotization.

Enjoyed her, _did_ he? Would he also enjoy a fist in his pale face?

Lucy chose to forcefully _not_ think of her incapacitation, trapped like a blind fish in a net. She turned her cheek away and his nose bumped into her skin, breath cooling her heated flesh that had nothing to do with the muggy weather. " _Stop_..." Tears did not prickle her eyes as she expected, and she raised a disbelieving finger to her cheek, swiping and searching. Dry as the summer dessert, her hand fell limply by her side.

As quickly as the word flew out of her mouth, he'd snapped back away from her, as if she burned. If she chose that moment to look up into his eyes, she'd have found the ordinary deep colour of black ink set back in place, not the colour of bleeding crimson which had snared her into a statue.

"You've grown careless in my company." the words were soft, but curling with anger and a more _intimate_ silver lining within his deep voice that she did not want to identify, pick it apart and find meaning in its confusing depths. His large hands quickly seized her hips and jerked her forward.

"Nhg!" her tongue was stubbornly glued to the roof of her mouth as her recklessness plummeted and distress overcame her. Her hands glued onto his firm chest and struggled to push him back. He did not budge however, standing firmly in place as he gripped her to the point of pain. Lucy snarled into his face, unsticking her useless tongue to rasp: _**"Stop it**_."

He used his thumb to tuck her wandering bang behind her ear, holding her tightly with the other arm. "Has the almighty guild of Fairy Tail grown so arrogant as to not teach their underlings of the simple yet cautionary rules when prancing around with _dark mages_?" The words dripped with mock, tone acidic. His other arm circled her waist inappropriately, "Were you not the one to boastfully remind me of your distrust?" Lucy refused to whimper as the hands around her squeezed harder than the vines he'd freed her from. "Yet is seems you are nothing more than a conceited mage with an attitude problem, how disappointing." The hands dipped to the small of her back, caressing her through the cloth. The heaviness eased. It felt nice. She felt _dirtied_.

"Do not insult Fairy Tail," she managed to grit out, despite the attack of her character. She took offence at the blatant mockery of her guild, her own feelings locked away heavily, buried deep in a chest. How dare he state they were the arrogant ones? Did he not have a mirror to stare into? "You have some gall to preach about egotism, _almighty_ Zeref." her brain sizzled in sporadic bursts, mainly filled with insults she wanted to call him as he nuzzled into her neck, inhaling her like a lover. He culled down her words, "I do not flaunt myself like your guild." Lucy bared her teeth in response, lip curling but he was not done.

"I find myself fascinated with the sheer audacity…" he purred into her skin, ignoring her trembles, mouth poised above her beating pulse point. She wondered if her could her heart _tha-thump_ like a frightened mouse. "In which you pose yourself to me…as if I were some common civilian with the wit of a thug..." his sharp incisors nicked and blotted her skin, she flinched in response. "Is beyond amusing…" his voice carried through her ear drums, like a loud siren. The receptors in her ears blared as the unsaid warning carried through; _she was walking a tight line_ -his hand reached up and clasped her stiff nape. "Perhaps your negligence to where our alliances stand…" he nipped at her creamy flesh again and she hiccupped a flustered yelp, "Will be your undoing. Then perhaps you will learn your lesson with mistaking me for one of those _fools_."

Oh this philosophical prick. It was her fault, Lucy agreed in pathetic admittance. Her misguided expectations, no matter how far they sat in the far corners of her mind, whispering sweet nothings and sly recommendations to think she could talk, ask even, for her enemy to help.

"That..." her tongue felt thick, like cement had been poured down her throat. "Only makes me human." It sounded lame and anticlimactic. The man with his strong arms around her only laughed, a twisted sound that encased her like a film of forbidden honey, it made her shiver, and made her heart in its boned cage start with a foreboding thrill.

"You have much to learn of the ways of the world, youngin'." Her face scrunched up with disdain as his hands travelled over the curve of her thighs, close to grasping her bottom. "I could teach you." he murmured hotly.

Lucy stumbled out of his grasp, which he allowed, in fury, "Just- _don't_ ," her hand braced her whip, "Don't come near me." He took one step forward and she didn't hesitate to slap him across the face, a loud smack which echoed. A red hand print splashed against his left cheek. He clenched his jaw, "Resorting to violence since you have no more words to speak?" A smidgen of condensation, "Is that how you resolve your fights?"

Lucy was mind blown, _truly_ , "What- _just_. We are on a completely different wavelength here!" The shout of her voice jarred her, "What is _wrong_ with you?"

She hadn't noticed before, but the noise level had dramatically decreased. She shifted on her feet, defensively positioning her body. "I grow tired of this quarrelling, Lucy." He told her coolly. The heat in his gaze was diminishing. That angered her even greater.

Lucy swallowed, throat tight and burning with rage, "You sure like getting in my personal space, disrespecting my guild and belittling me," she snapped hoarsely, jutting out her chin in haughty move. Zeref gazed at her with now evident boredom, as if he hadn't touched her with his hands and denied her freedom. Her tightened lips pursed into a venomous scowl, "You are _despicable_."

They could both acknowledge without words that this ' _relationship'_ of theirs had irrevocably changed.

* * *

Azure blue, Hazel and dazzling Azure gleamed and pulsed with raw magic in the confines of complicated runes. They pushed inward with a deep analysing power, locked in a circle around the innocent gold Keys that they surrounded. Colours substituted themselves to apparent death, glowing spectacularly before fading away as more overwhelming colours like Deep Ocean blue, Pale Moonlight and Dark Muddy Earth took over. The keys jingled and glistened a silvery sheen, as if they were crying.

"How much longer?" Distorted voice whispered their gathered impatience. A large industrial bell chimed above their collective heads, rattling the rickety stone walls with its oppressive twang.

"Cultivating them will take much more time than predicated," The cloaked figure that stood on a podium watching the Keys was displeased, hands fisted to the point where blood flow clogged and his hands turned a ghostly white. "Gather your resources and retract time from the rest of your projects." He barked the order. His subordinates below scattered in a flurry to do his bidding. "Pull the reserves out of the vault, bring them here at once!"

"So we wait?" Another cloaked figure of different colouring, frayed grey, made a sound of disappointment. They were _so_ close.

"We do not have the rest and these keys are stubborn." The apparent _leader_ said, shrouded in dark green and fingering a gaudy ring on his thumb. "The process will take much longer with their absence and we had no more time to waste on retrieving them." The acrid smell of decaying bodies polluted the air, the heavy clunk of machinery drumming along screeched into their ears. "So unfortunately, due to those heathens destroying the gate and that stupid woman we will have to wait a little bit longer."

The one in the green kneeled on the ground, staring hungrily at the rising plumes of magical strings coming out of the Celestial Gate Keys. "We will _finally_ rise."

* * *

Something in her had hardened that day. The chill that settled over her rattled her bones and cooled her blood. The cold could not be warmed, even with the aide of the sun. Conversation between them became a stilted repast, unsaid resentment flooding off her in waves. She found him infuriating and disgusting, he found her insufferable-as he'd so graciously let her know. Their explosive argument meandered into a slow drill of quiet, the _shitshow_ where he'd lost part of his control was doubly awkward and pilfered any substance of communication they could have further had. That was two days ago.

She pulled at the wilting weeds beside her feet, verdant colour severed off from the idyllic jungle. He said he enjoyed her. That could allude to different meanings. Sexually, intellectually or the added comfort of a warm human body lying next to him in the dead of the night? She could only take blind guesses. He _also_ labelled her as arrogant, the bastard.

Sinking her toes into the mud, a cool wash of soggy earth pooled over her appendages. She should visit the waterfall again; her clothes were wrinkled and smelled. The humid weather had dulled her fiery will; her competence about navigating herself away and from him and this _place_ failed her. She was stuck here.

Lucy plucked at a recovering scab, combed her thin fingers through her hair then picked the crust out of her eyes in a measure of cleaning up. Lucy was on her own, figuratively, only partly dependent on him for safety. That irony was not lost on her. If only she had the power of instant transportation. Swiping up some mud in her hand, she smeared the weight onto her face and arms to cool down her body temperature.

If she was going to be stuck here for an innumerable amount of time, then she might as well test out a theory she'd been considering for months. One constant that she did not miss were the interruptions in her daily life. Natsu was obnoxious and liked to crawl into her bed, but she loved her best friend. Gray liked to rummage through her panty drawer, the _pervert_ and Erza stole all of her sweets. She did not miss being exploited of her generosity.

Which now brought her to the ' _theory'_.

Bearing in mind of her past accomplishments, which saved their collected asses many times, she still felt lacking in the department of combat. Lucy was aware of her disadvantage when relying solely on her keys. It stung to admit how self-conscious she felt about it, like she didn't contribute enough on their team missions. They never said anything about it, they didn't need to- they _appreciated_ her. She knew that.

Yet, that didn't change her feelings on the matter and now she was without them, Keys and Teammates: _bare and weak_. "Better time than any to test this out." She laid her whip in front of her and crossed her legs, cracking her knuckles before relaxing her body. Breathing through her nose, she clenched her abdomen and dived into her soul- drudging up her core energy.

Every mage had core energy, anything else was just extra. She still didn't get the schematics of the whole 'magic' distribution, but so far she could conclude that magic was a _pain_. Lost magic, dark magic, old magic, light magic- it all varied on the pain-metre. Some mages had spectacular core power, but very little opportunity to show it. It was definitely unbalanced, despite the small population of mages that existed. Now that she had released _**Second Origin** _ at the Grand Magic Games, giving her a lovely boost of power, it had also broken open a door to allow her to attempt to learn new magic, spells and harden the spiritual container inside her soul. A great opportunity for her to learn how to defend herself properly and renew her own core energy.

Initially, when she began practicing this exercise back home she'd never gotten very far. It took a tremendous amount of effort to blank your mind, like a canvas devoid of any paint and reach _into_ yourself, create a big enough opening and fall right in. And now, any progress she had went slack with disuse and getting back to the right point took _time_. An hour, or probably two passed by when she began, then finally her core chimed with a distinct _tinkle_ and her breath hitched as she tumbled into her dreamscape in one fell swoop.

Within this dream state she was allowed free roam to test, build her walls back up and solidify her relationship with her core magic. Her spirit's presence was heavily felt, gaping black holes in the large coils surrounding the pink walkway. Interesting, what her soul conjured for her. A path to walk on. She read about astral planes before, the feeling of floating through, and the freeing sensation of shedding your troubles from the outside world. Her senses heightened to innumerable measures and she stopped, breathed- _though there was no air_ \- and grinned, listening to the sweet lullaby of her soul calling out to her.

It was about time she did something she _wanted_.

* * *

The translucent wall shimmered with unmoved intention, profound in its defiance to protect itself and _hold_. A pale hand was placed on its surface, pumping out dark magic and siphoning the natural energy from the environment to speed the process up. The ground, as an after effect from channelling such heavy magic had blackened in a radius of three hundred metres in every direction. The hand had been there for nearly eight hours.

A faint shrill tickled the unfamiliar person's ears when the spell at last yielded results. The creator of the barrier felt nary a thing but a slight combustion of power as the wall _finally_ began to crack and splintered like a web, spreading slowly along the previously invisible dome.

The stranger's coal dark irises exploded with manic delight, " _Well_ , that wasn't as difficult as I expected."

* * *

In the southern exterior of his _majikəl_ barrier some 300 kilometres away, he felt the bursts of near indiscernible disruption thinning out towards the south west. He frowned. The journey to inspect the wards could not be entertained, not with Lucy in the vicinity. He began digging a hole in the ground, dirt entrapped under his fingernails as he pushed his energy into the shallow hovel. The black magic spilled out of his palm and pooled like viscous liquid, before being layered over with soil.

He waited a few minutes for his summon to form, a tiny shadowy creature digging its way out of the sodden earth. It blinked, white pupils understanding as he instructed, "Take a scout and search the perimeter on the southern front, report back to me as soon as possible." Its small whiskers twitched twice, before scampering off into a shrub of budding orchids.

A hush soon fell upon him, wind stilled as _she_ made her anticipated appearance, bringing a lush growth with her. The illusion was deceiving, the excessive florae sprouting from the ground were not real, and her ethereal glow was a trick for the eyes. He speared upwards, not turning to face her; instead allowing his senses to feel her intangible form float above him, neither reaching for him nor settling on the ground. Something foul wrinkled his nose, "Hello Mavis."

"It has been a long time, Zeref."

"Indeed it has."

Her presence, so long ago which he thirsted for, now unceasingly reminded him of his damned infliction and the foul feeling developed with a vengeance, hiking up his mouth into a sneer and tying his gut into knots. She was not welcomed, not anymore. "So, what do I owe for this unwanted visit? Come to see your forgotten murderer and relive the memories?" he drawled lazily. Her aura tempted him, tendrils of light magic and a soul so blinding and full of possibilities. He gritted his teeth.

Behind him Mavis cocked her head, long hair curling around her small body, "How long do you intend to keep her here?" A genteel smile lifted her face, entirely overlooking his insensitive comment. He did not have to see to know her face was set kindly, _annoyingly_. He could feel it.

Inspecting his crusted fingernails in a deliberately calm perusal, he replied: "As long as I see fit." _Selfish_. The air rapidly shifted intosomething more colder.

"You're playing a perilous game here, Zeref. You already know Lucy is a Fairy Tail member _and_ she's Layla's daughter, I would have been inclined to think you're not aware of your indiscretions but then again i'm not one to be in denial and you are no fool." He considered her at last, her incandescent light burning into his sight unrelentingly. The smile had dropped, in replace of a blank face and a line of her lips. He raised a hand to shield his eyes, _'Too much light.'_

"An astute observation of yours, _Mavis_." It came out snarky, against his intentions on a _somewhat_ civil conversation; but then again they weren't talking to catch up like old friends. The hollow crevice in his heart shuddered darkly, "I have been aware the moment I saw her." He was not an idiot; Lucy resembled Layla and had the fiery essence of Anna, he could not have ignored that shrieking fact.

Her eyes widened painstakingly as she inhaled sharply. "So why do you continue this farce of a relationship? On what grounds do you have to keep her here in _captivity_?" Although the words were hard, no feature on her face twitched. It was infuriating for him to see. This stoic mask she placed on did not fit her, probably never would. "I _want_ you to release her." Ah, a power play, is that why she remained suspended in the air?

"Why should I answer to you?" he replied, a question for a question, "Is my business not my own?" He shook his head and sat down, enjoying the frigid wash of anger that splashed into her jade eyes. She could keep up a well enough façade, but those eyes of hers revealed everything. He relished the irritation in those orbs, "It is funny that you think I'd give in to your demands. I haven't done any harm to the girl, I simply enjoy her company."

"You have _no_ right."

He closed his eyes slowly, shutting out her visage and the world around them. "Perhaps you'd want me to take on a more active role in the current peace?" He paused, smile sardonic. "Shall I release you from that crystal tomb and reveal what that _guild's_ prized Natsu is to the whole world?" The words were chilling, coming out of his mouth in a consistent stream of self-hate and annoyance. His nostrils flared, "I doubt you would want a war to come to fruition." Threatening felt like a dirty cheap tactic, he grasped his dirtied hands to keep himself grounded, less he lash out. _'I don't want to…. Don't push me Mavis…'_

"Natsu?" she dared gasp. Now he wanted her to _leave_. "And no i don't want to wage a war against you and your demons." She spat the word out like something derogatory. "I just want my guild member home." She narrowed her eyes, "If you even _dare_ reveal what Natsu is,"

"Natsu will learn of his origins one way or another, it is inevitable." His words cut into her self-righteous speech, the feeling of wanting her gone increasing restlessly.

"You are _cruel_ Zeref."

"Leave."

"Zeref…"

"Leave my presence, I will not heed any warning or threats you've bothered to come here and deliver. I've heard what you wanted to say and have no further patience to continue this conversation."

The slightest touch of fury painted her small face, dishing out her own threats and spitting venom in return. "I may not have access to my physical body, but know this, Lucy is a Fairy Tail mage and I will not have you corrupting Anna's descendant. If you harm her, _if_ you push forth for a war, to obtain Fairy Heart, I will unearth Fiore's full power and meet you blow for blow."

He felt compelled to smirk and so he did, "And what about Natsu?"

"I will continue to lie." He faltered at the hurt that panged him, profusely shaking it off like a speck of dust- _weakness_ \- that'd stuck to him.

"You've become quite the wretched manipulator, Mavis. Holding lies and threatening to unveil a secret that has kept your country safe?" She would allow that guild to unlock **_Lumen histoire_** , delicate and capable of mass destruction just to duel him? Laughable, really.

Her spectral form flickered, the wind picking up with a slow draft, "I really did love you." Her solemn face would stay in his mind for hours yet before he buried it down to the recesses of his memory, "And you've become so _ugly_."

" _Love_ made me what I am."

The frustration showed, "Release the girl or I'll tell the guild of her whereabouts and let them come."

"I'm not going to and they will not find her."

Her eyebrows rose to her forehead, "I managed it."

"You were only able since _I_ let you in."

The look of pure, unfiltered shock strengthened him, made him feel a little less regretful for what he was about to do. "What-"

"Be gone Mavis, it was a pleasure seeing you again." And like a vacuum her form disappeared to a single point and zipped out of the air with a _zap_. He placed both of his hands on the ground and muttered an incantation, " _lōˈkāSHən läsˈpərsən!_ " The Loss of Memory, the spell would allow her to remember them talking but it has purged her mind of where he resided and Lucy's presence, gliding out of her recollection and leaving the useful space void.

"I am sorry."

* * *

 **Writing** _ **hurts**_ **. You know what might soothe my ache,** _ **some**_ _ **reviews**_ **.**


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